Server for toothpicks or articles of similar splint-like form.



L. H. TANGEN. SERVER POE TOOTHPIGKS 0R ARTICLES OF SIMILAR SPLINT LIKE FORM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30. 1910.

1,004,933. 7 Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

WITNESSES INVENTOH OLUMRIA Immoomwu c0 WASHINGTON, [L c.

LOUIS H. TANGEN, 0F DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

SERVER FOR 'IOOTHPICKS OR ARTICLES OF SIMILAR SPLINT-LIKE FORM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Application filed November 30, 1910. Serial No. 594,882.

1 '0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs H. TANGEN, a subject of Norway, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Servers for Toothpicks or Articles of Similar Splint-Like Form; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to servers for toothpicks, matches, or the like and has for its object the provision of simple, cheap and convenient means for serving a single tooth pick, match, or other article of splint-like form, from a reservoir containing a plural ity of the same, in such manner as to pre vent or render unnecessary or inconvenient the handling of the remaining stock by the consumer.

While said invention may be used to serve matches, and by its use tend to prevent the wholesale appropriation of matches by any individual, the principal object of the invention is to prevent unsanitary handling of toothpicks by a great many individuals successively attempting to take one or two from a larger stock.

It consists of the constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is a section of said invention approximately on the line AB of Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is a plan view of said invention, partly broken away; all but i one of the toot-h picks being removed to more clearly disclose the mechanism. Fig. 3 is a tongs for use in filling the reservoir from a larger stock, whereby handling of the toothpicks may be further avoided.

In the drawings, 1, is a base of any convenient contour or construction. Upon said base is supported a reservoir 2, preferably by means of legs 2 2 Said reservoir maybe of any suitable and convenient shape, proportions or dimensions, and preferably has an inclined floor 2. A baffle plate 2 is preferably provided within said reser voir, extending longitudinally thereof to prevent the toothpicks 6 from piling too deeply against the rear walls of said reservoir, space being left between the lower edge of said baifling plate and the floor of said reservoir through which space the toothpicks may pass from that portion of said reservoir in front of said plate, to that portion of said reservoir in rear of said plate. Extending upwardly from the rear wall of said reservoir is a guide 3, within which is positioned a plunger 4:, provided at its lower end with a hook 4* adapted to engage one of the toothpicks intermediate of its ends and to lift one end of the same. Pivotally mounted on said guide and extending forwardly and downwardly at one side of said plunger is a hook or latch 5 adapted to receive and engage the tooth pick lifted by said hook 43 and to loosely retain said tooth pick in an inclined and partly exposed position after said hook 4 has again been lowered. In order to prevent said hook 43 from retaining too many picks in one operation, and also to better insure that it will raise at least one pick to the proper height at each operation, I provide the inclined shoulder 2 at one end of the reservoir between said plate and said rear wall, which shoulder inclines upwardly and forwardly. The effect of said shoulder is to push the raised picks forwardly at one end, thus tending to make all except one roll off from the shallow hook 45, but at the same time tending to keep one splint inclined against the shank of the plunger above said hook 4 and thus in the path of the rising hook. The portion of the reservoir forward of said baffle plate, is covered by any suitable form of cover 2, which is partly broken away in Fig. 2, and the space between the battle plate and said rear wall will be too narrow to prevent of the insertion of the fingers. The upper end of the lifted pick, as it rests upon the hook or latch 5 will be exposed to the grasp of the consumer, who may draw it from the reservoir. Each person who desires a tooth pick may operate said plunger for himself by means of the handle or finger-hold 4 In filling the reservoir, it is preferable to transfer the picks to the same from the original package by any suitable form of tongs, as 7 Fig. 3.

It is obvious that my said invention may be altered or modified in minor details of construction or by the substitution of mechanical equivalents, and that any suitable materials, contours, proportions, or dimensions may be employed within the scope of certain of my claims.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a suitable supto engage one of said articles intermediate of its ends and to raise one end of the same, and a latch pivotally mounted on said guide above said reservoir and adapted to receive and loosely support the raised end of said article after the support of said hook has been withdrawn.

2. The combination with a suitable support of a reservoir for tooth picks or articles of similar splint-like nature, said reservoir having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined floor, a longitudinally extending vertically positioned stationary baffle plate within said reservoir and spaced from the floor thereof and adapted to retard the progress of said articles from the front to the rear of said reservoir, a vertically directed guide formed on said reservoir and extending above the same, a vertically directed plunger engaged by said guide and extending at all times outwardly of said reservoir at its upper end and adapted to be extended into said reservoir at its lower end when depressed, said plunger being provided at its lower end with a hook adapted to engage one of said articles intermediate of the ends thereof and to raise one end thereof, and a latch mounted on said guide outwardly of said reservoir and adapted to receive and loosely support the raised end of said article.

3. The combination with a suitable support of a reservoir adapted to receive horizontally disposed tooth picks or articles of similar splint-like form, a longitudinally directed vertically positioned baflle plate within said reservoir and spaced from the floor thereof and adapted to retard the progress of said articles from that portion of the reservoir 011 one side of said plate to that portion thereof on the other side of said plate, a guide formed on said reservoir, a vertically directed plunger engaged by said guide and adapted to extend into said reservoir, said plunger being provided with a hook at its lower end adapted to engage one of said articles intermediate of the ends thereof and to raise one end of said article when said plunger is raised, and means within said reservoir for deflecting the opposite end of said article toward said plate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS H. TANGEN.

\Vitnesses:

JAMES T. WVA'rsoN, PAUL THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

